


Of Farm Chores and Cooking Lessons

by NicePumpkinSpice



Series: Of Sweet Memories and Guarded Moments [49]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-21 21:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3705449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicePumpkinSpice/pseuds/NicePumpkinSpice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen's mother gets Evelyn alone to talk while Cullen's father does the same with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Farm Chores and Cooking Lessons

Martha Rutherford was waiting for Evelyn in the kitchen. “All washed up?” she asked and motioned for Evelyn to take a place at a cutting board. “I assume you know how to use a knife. Chop these carrots and potatoes for me while I take care of the chicken.” Evelyn joined Cullen’s mother silently preparing the vegetables while her stomach lurched with trepidation. She was alone with the most important woman in Cullen’s life. _Maker don’t let me screw this up._ Evelyn’s mind raced with potential conversation topics, but she couldn’t bring herself to make small talk.

The knife his mother provided was very sharp, and Evelyn was so distracted by trying to make a good impression that she sliced her finger. “Blast!” Evelyn cursed holding her injured index finger to her mouth. Cullen’s mother looked over at her with concern. “Let me see.” Evelyn obliged holding out her bloodied finger. “Sliced yourself open. Just a minute. I’ll get the bandages.” Martha offered.

“No need.” Evelyn replied and waved her good hand over the cut. The skin knit together instantly. Only after she’d healed herself did Evelyn start to worry that she’d used magic.

Cullen’s mother stopped short and cocked her head. “Well, that’s a handy trick,” she commented and took Evelyn’s hand to examine it closely. She snorted and then added, “Maker, the coin we’d have saved if you were around when the boys were growing up. Always having to buy more bandages and pay the healer to mend broken bones. I hope Cullen is more careful now.”

“He trains and spars with his troops, so he sometimes get injured. We have plenty of healers at Skyhold, though. Not that he avails himself of them often.” Evelyn said with mild annoyance.

“Still stubborn about taking help then? Some things never change,” Martha said while looking out the window toward the barn. Evelyn’s eyes followed hers and saw Cullen slopping pigs. “James has Cully to work already. He’s been looking forward to having an extra set of hands. Cullen has always been a hard worker.”

“The Commander is very dedicated. The Inquisition is fortunate to have him.” Evelyn said then bit her lip realizing her statement sounded more like it came from his superior rather than his fiancee. “I mean that I’m lucky to have him. He’s a good man,” Evelyn added shyly.

“I don’t bite, love.” Martha Rutherford soothed. “You brought him back to us in more ways than one. I’ll admit we were surprised when we first realized he had taken up with a mage...”

Evelyn held her breath. _Here it comes..._ she thought and braced for the worst.

*******************

Cullen drew water from the well and rinsed the slop bucket. He shouldn’t have been surprised that his father set him to work right away. James Rutherford expected everyone to pull their weight - even sons that had been gone for a decade. Cracking his neck and walking back to the barn, Cullen wondered why his father wanted to speak with him. At some point while working alongside Cullen, his father would bring up whatever he had on his mind. _Busy the hands to still the mind and loosen the tongue_ was an adage to which his father ascribed and one that Cullen had adopted with his own men.

“I’ve finished with the pigs, Pop. What else do you need me to do?”

James Rutherford was cleaning Evelyn and Cullen’s saddles. “Take care of the bridles, martingales, and bits. I mean to talk with you.”

“Pop, if this is about what you overheard Evelyn say, I...”

His father shook his head, “Your mother and I would have no grounds to make any judgments about that, son. Have you never done the math on Mia’s birthday and our wedding anniversary?”

Cullen stood still for a moment obviously parsing the numbers. “Maker’s breath,” he muttered. Thinking about his parents being intimate and requiring a forced wedding made him incredibly uncomfortable. He turned his full concentration toward wiping down Evelyn’s reins.

“Although that brings up a good point, there are ways to avoid conceiving. I hope that you are being prudent.” James added enjoying watching his son’s discomfort.

Cullen coughed into his hand and swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. I mean we are, sir.” Cullen sputtered while turning crimson, “Can we please change the topic?” 

“Certainly, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about anyway.” James said while patting Cullen on the back before returning to polishing saddles.

********************

Martha Rutherford had just admitted that Cullen’s family was surprised that he had fallen in love with a mage. Evelyn was trying to formulate a response to the revelation, but she had so many conflicting emotions that she could only manage a weak, “I guess you wouldn’t expect that.”

Cullen’s mother furrowed her brow. “We’re not upset that he chose you. From the letters he’s written and the looks he gives you, we know that you’re good for him.” Martha resumed cutting up the chicken for the night’s meal. She thought for a moment and then looked at Evelyn directly, “How much do you know of his time at Ferelden’s Circle?”

Evelyn’s eyes grew wide. Cullen had made it clear that he’d never shared his experiences with his family, but his mother’s question made Evelyn wonder if she somehow knew anyway. Evelyn struggled with how to reply without betraying Cullen’s confidence. Cullen’s family valued directness, but he treasured his privacy. She settled on saying, “Enough to know it was a difficult posting. He doesn’t like to speak of it and thinks you know nothing of what happened.”

“I’m sure he does,” Martha said with frustration. “Cully made a point to avoid contact with us after the Blight. He went from writing us regularly to refusing to answer our letters. We knew something was wrong. After six months of not hearing from him, James and I went to Kinloch Hold looking for answers. The Knight-Commander would tell us nothing at first, so we made the trip to the Circle twice a month until Greagoir finally broke. I doubt we got the full story even then, but we heard enough." 

“Mia knows everything that James and I do. Andrew knows that the Circle fell and that his brother was involved in the fighting. We’ve never told Sarah anything. She is tender-hearted and idolizes her brother. It would have been too much for her to take.”

“We hoped that things would go better for him in Kirkwall. Greagoir assured us that the Knight-Commander there was an ideal templar,” Martha said bitterly. “I’m sure you know how that mess turned out. We’ve read The Tale of the Champion and recognize our son in the story.” Martha began to cry, “All those years, and he never reached out to us once. Mia could occasionally get him to write a note letting us know he was still breathing, but we got little else until he joined the Inquisition.”

“That must have been incredibly difficult for you.” Evelyn said. “When I found out that he rarely wrote home, I encouraged him to do it more often. I couldn’t imagine ignoring a family that wanted to hear from you.”

“Your parents must be proud to have such a considerate daughter.” Martha praised.

Evelyn looked down at the potatoes she was dicing. It was too difficult to meet Cullen’s mother’s eyes at that moment. “They left me at the Ostwick Circle when my magic manifested. I’ve never heard from them since. That’s why I was particularly insistent that he write to his family. I probably overstepped my bounds with him then. He was just my military advisor at the time, but I couldn’t let it slide.”

Martha took her hands and held them earnestly. “We are so thankful you did. His first letters were distant, but as time passed they became warmer. Of course, he hardly told us anything about himself, but we did get to hear a great deal about you. I would wager we knew he was in love with you before he did. It came as no surprise to us when he wrote asking for my mother’s ring.”

Letting go of Evelyn’s hands. Martha put the chicken into a kettle of boiling water over the fire and then reached for flour, milk, butter, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Combining the ingredients in perfect proportions without measuring, Martha began to make dough for dumplings. “I’ll write down my dumpling recipe later. For now, you can just keep me company. I’ll make you a deal. For everything you tell me about yourself, I’ll share a story about Cullen when he was a boy.”

******************

Cullen’s father gestured for him to sit on a hay bale. Squatting down on a milking stool in front of him, James Rutherford cleared his throat and surveyed his son carefully. “I’ll be brief. You’ll no doubt want to rescue Evelyn from your mother.”

Cullen nodded and ran his hands along his trousers. _Maker, I feel like I’m ten years old and got caught cutting out on chores._ “I’m listening, Pop.”

“Your mother and I ... well, really all of us, have been worried about you. Ten years is a long time, son.”

Cullen expected this discussion, but his gut clenched when it started. “I should have written more often. I’m not proud of some of the choices I made in the past - especially leaving Mama and you to worry.”

James held up his hand to silence Cullen. “I’m not going to rehash old mistakes although you should apologize to your mother directly. I mean to discuss how you are doing now and how you were getting along before you left the templars.”

“I’m fine, Pop. I feel like I’m doing the right thing leading the Inquisition’s army, and Evelyn is ... well, she’s better than I deserve. You needn’t worry about me.”

Cullen’s father rubbed his stubble thoughtfully and then spoke, “Did you know that I served as a soldier during the Ferelden Rebellion?”

“I never remember your mentioning that.” Cullen said with confusion.

“Exactly,” James replied. “I never mentioned it because what I saw and the things I did were not for childrens’ ears. You have no idea what a strong woman your mother is, Cullen. She held our family together. Held me together when I came home.”

Cullen saw that his father’s eyes were glistening with tears. The older man cleared his throat and looked off in the distance. “You know your military history I assume. What do you know of the Battle of White River?”

“Maric’s rebellion nearly failed there. Rebel forces were massacred. Fewer than fifty survived.”

“Aye. I was one of those who lived, but my survival cost me a great deal. Seeing my friends cut down around me. Wondering if I deserved to live while they died. Your mother saw me through the nightmares. Kept the family and farm running when I was too caught up in my own head. I expect that your Evelyn does the same for you.”

Cullen’s jaw dropped at his father’s admission. He looked down at the dirt floor of the barn and struggled with his father’s words. “Pop, I...” Cullen started to speak then stopped. Letting out a deep sigh and closing his eyes tightly, Cullen tried to swallow the lump that kept growing larger in his throat. Eventually, he reined in his emotions enough to answer. “Yes, she does. I have no idea where I would be without her and the second chance the Inquisition has given me.”

James put his hand on his son’s shoulder and squeezed. “Time and the love of a good woman heal much hurt. Just know that your mother and I are here for you also.” Releasing his grip on Cullen’s shoulder, James announced, “I expect you’ll want to check on Evelyn. Maker knows what sorts of things your mother is quizzing her about.”

Cullen stood and began to walk toward the house, but hesitated and returned to where James still sat silently on the milking stool. Offering his hand, Cullen said, “Thanks, Pop, for everything.” His father smiled and took his hand to shake at which point Cullen pulled him into a tight hug. The two men silently shared each others burdens for a few moments before turning to the house that held the women that saw them through it all.

**Author's Note:**

> If one of my children broke off contact, you can be sure I would be hounding everyone that might know the cause. From in game dialogue, it seems that Cullen had a warm relationship with his family before he left to become a templar. That is why my head canon is that his parents didn't let his disappearance from Ferelden's Circle slide.


End file.
